rec.autos.simulators

btw: I think GPL's Internet connectivity is outstanding. Until it came
along where could you race five, ten, even fif*** or twenty people
for free?! That said, I hope they find a way to improve it even more
though.

JBurrowes

Wow, 30 a month! That's cheaper than cable modems are expected to be.
The thing that got me about cable modems was the fact that there would
be no phone bills, so I could connect whenever I wanted. Can you do that
with ADSL or is it charged like a normal phone call? I hardly know
anything about it.

--
Cheers!
Graeme Nash

http://www.karisma1.demon.co.uk
ICQ# 11257824

1998 Xoom GP2 League Champion

Hurrah!

try the new green ROMP - 0845 212 0666 - got rid of all my engaged tones
on Colt, NER and vPOP numbers, not tried Red or Purple yet though, Colt
will be discontinued pretty soon anyway :(

do you find BT has lower pings than Demon?
Anyone using Freeserve for this? Does Freeserves cache only web browsing
allow a VROC type connection?

I've not tried VROC yet - didn't think there was much point, most people
in the UK seem to have lots of trouble getting a good connection,
hopefully when ADSL does come around there'll be a some UK hosted races

--
Mike Buckley    
Cotswold Pig Development Co Ltd
Tel: 44 (0)1472 371591  Fax: 44 (0)1472 371208

WWW:    www.toastyhamster.freeserve.co.uk

Just checked out the site. Yes its 30 a month all in - 24 hours a day  high
speed access. Wow!

Sadly the trial is for only 900 homes & businesses in North & West London
for 6 months. So I guess you may have to move.

Cheers

Tony

They'd better hurry up and get it everywhere. It's annoying because I
heard mumblings about Cable & Wireless running a Cable modem trial down
here in Bromley in January. Doesn't look like it ever happened :-(

I just wonder what ADSL's 256k UPLOAD speed does to GPL. 2mbs downloads
will be good though :-)

--
Cheers!
Graeme Nash

http://www.karisma1.demon.co.uk
ICQ# 11257824

1998 Xoom GP2 League Champion

<...>

Well that is good, because online racing is the way of the future. I
can't really use the sim without racing online anymore; it is too much
fun racing real people.

Here are some ideas for VROC or GPL (depending on who's job it would
be to implement them). I haven't thought these through terribly
carefully, but perhap we can toss them around:

1) a way for people to allow their machines to host while they aren't
there (Please please!). This would mean cycling through tracks
automatically after each race.

2) some simple way to change cars without disconnecting (for all those
"BRM only" servers you discover only after loggin on)

3)a way to use key-combo stock phrases in chat without typing
("sorry", "NP", "please move over- I'm lapping you", etc.). Perhaps
that is too un-simmlike, but it sure is irritating having backrunners
race you and eventually put you in the dirt...

4)see latency without going on to pit lane.

5)go back to having VROC chat at the bottom of the Netscape page- I
think that was a great place to go when nothing was happening, and you
wanted to set up another race. Or vent about just gettting discoed!

6) a way to see who is practicing (and times) at a particular server
before going to it. Maybe a way to check race standings at a given
server- but maybe that is too taxing during the race for the server

7)a way to save lap info and garage info before getting tossed to the
"newspaper"

8) have a way for server to restrict access from specific people (of
course, they can always change their names).

9) the choice for the server to allow people to connect when practice
is over but race hasn't started yet. Perhaps even the choice for a
server to let people connect during a race- boon to discoed drivers,
or people who just want to watch a good race.

10) show records of top speeds for server or most wins per individual,
etc.

11) provide a way to know how many people are still racing with you
(sucks not realizing until end that everyone else left).

12) show who is hosting a particular race- everyone always ends up
asking after the race.

... that is all I can think of right now...

Couldn't see a difference between Demon, Freeserve and BT. Dconns were higher
with Demon, then Freeserve, with BT having the fewest number.

Freeserve does support VROC.

It's still good, though you have to stay up late to get on all the fast US
connections. Sunday evening is always bad - I guess it's due to too much
Internet traffic. Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday seem best but there are also
fewer hosts then.

Oink, oink

Cheers,
Paul

Cheers,
Paul

Most of the times when I get disco'd at VROC the modem still remains
connected and GPL is still fine - it just boots me out due to what I guess
is a temporary bandwidth problem. The improvement would be to use the
Microprose GP2 trick of letting the computer take over the driving of your
car until the modem connection picks up speed again. The computer would then
introduce you back into the race using the 5,4,3,2,1 countdown.

A big pat on the back to whoever thought of this - I just wanted to repost
it so that it wasn't forgotten.

Andy.

Kenny

     I don't know anyone who can say that they don't experience
disconnects from time to time. Setting up a seperate DUN for VROC helped
a lot. All the info you need is in the tech section.

     And yes,we owe Alison and Nate Hine a great deal for all their
effort and time spent on giving us a place to race online for FREE. Ten
isn't anymore stable from what I hear,and you have to pay to race.

Joel Willstein

Freeserve has gone really slow, as the volume of users has increased. In its
infancy it was great - IMHO its not really viable for GPL at the moment.

Hopefully they will get on top of it.

With a reasonably quick ISP, VROC connections are fine in the UK - I
regularly connect to cable modem servers in the states.

Cheers

Tony

just got to download nutscrape from somewhere unless i can find it on a
cover disk somewhere!

--
Mike Buckley    
Cotswold Pig Development Co Ltd
Tel: 44 (0)1472 371591  Fax: 44 (0)1472 371208

WWW:    www.toastyhamster.freeserve.co.uk

"But in a way, fear is a big part of racing, because if there was
nothing to be frightened of, and no limit, any fool could get into
a motor car and racing would not exist as a sport." -- Jim Clark

% I just wonder what ADSL's 256k UPLOAD speed does to GPL. 2mbs downloads
% will be good though :-)

Should easily be able to handle 12 drivers with no problem (that is if
you have a mixed bag -- some modem, probably more if everyone was on
fast connections, cable, xDSL, T1, etc.).

--
**************************** Michael E. Carver *************************
     Upside out, or inside down...False alarm the only game in town.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=<[ /./.  [-  < ]>=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Rumor has it that this and more such features are coming the much
anticipated patch from Papyrus...

% 12) show who is hosting a particular race- everyone always ends up
% asking after the race.

This is always the "first" name listed when you turn the page on the
Event info....

--
**************************** Michael E. Carver *************************
     Upside out, or inside down...False alarm the only game in town.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=<[ /./.  [-  < ]>=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=